Is Food Really Medicine? Let's Discuss.

I like food but dislike eating

Disagree, I very often need to take medicine just so I can EAT food!

Agree 100%

eating healthy is extremely important - if ur out here eating mcdonald’s 24/7 ur not rlly in a place to be surprised by any health issues that arise from that - but anyway especially getting meat and dairy out of ur diet is helpful - i also suggest watching documentaries about food and the industry and doing research and what not

Agree, because a lot of "medicine" can be terrible for you, too. And what is good for one person is bad for another. Really medicine is just chemicals that may be extracted from foods, herbs, or microbes, or synthesized with the help of chemical knowledge gained from those things. The large rift between medicine and food, chemical and natural, etc. is all imaginary and produced by our culture.

It honestly depends. If you asked me when I was 10 I would have said obviously. Food keeps you healthy and happy. Asked me at 12-16 I would have said it was literally the spawn of Satan. Ask me at 19, I said it's good for you, it's hard but it's good for you. Ask me now at 22 I'd tell you I'm somewhere in between 16 and 19. Eating disorders are a struggle. It's okay to relapse. You're gonna get through it.

Gluten free vegetarian here!!!

Absolutely! I wish I had better food habits and tips on improving and what I need to eat to improve

Agree that eating well is important for overall health, but blanket statements like this make me worry because sometimes people tell me that a raw vegan diet will cure my type 1 diabetes which is silly

I agree. There’s a lot of food bad for you but what is natural from the earth. Oh man. It’s the best. I’m not a vegetarian but I do like my veggies and they help me be me.

I disagree, but mainly because of how I define "medicine" 🤷‍♂️ Food is food, food is something I enjoy. Medicine is something that helps, that I don't necessarily enjoy - especially as much as garlic knots, Reeses, iced coffee, etc. 😂😂😂 But garlic knots do make me feel better when I'm having a bad day.......🤔

With mindfulness and moderation

We need food to live so I guess

Yes!

Agree, a lot of foods have medicinal affects and benefits

I agree. Most foods provide a placebo effect, but others are genuinely effective

Totally agree. Maybe it's the Placebo Effect, but my mom's chicken soup always makes me feel better if I'm sick. Dark chocolate makes me less cranky on my period. Macaroni and cheese brings me comfort when I'm sad. You could also say it's a supplement rather than medicine. It doesn't exactly cure illness, but it certainly makes it a bit more bearable.

Food can be medicine and poison

I agree it’s medicine

I agree completely, you are what you eat and sometimes diet or food changes can help a lot

Agree ✔️ there's so many things you can put in your body (food-wise) to genuinely heal and/or prevent sickness! They say an apple a day, I prefer an orange 🤗

Honestly disagree, food is not really able to be a big player in my life and I think there’s been bigger ‘medicines’ that have had more benefit than that! But definitely a case by case basis ❤️

Food is my medicine lol

I'd say yes. I felt so much better when I ate healthy- both physically and mentally. However, sometimes it's just not a viable option for treating things. I was whole foods plant based which required a TON of meal prep and cooking. It worked short term, but it's not realistic for me to do long term no matter how good I felt, because I ended up burnt out from all the time and energy just to prepare food.

Yeah I can say both cause it helps

Everything you put into your body can be considered Medicine. In the U.S. I wish the federal government would step in and take control of the fat food epidemic. It's plaguing our country. It's ultimately because of capitalism.....stepping off the soapbox.

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Agree! As long as you're not going all the way left with it where food becomes your idol or your god. The thing about us as a people as a collective when we're given an inch we tend to take a mile

No, just a necessity. Like money=/= happiness, it's just required to an extent.

Agree

Yes. Without food we starve. Starvation is never good

Its medicine for the body but nothing will ever heal anything fully

i guess so

I used to be a self-proclaimed chocoholic. Then I found I love avocados and I found myself craving less and less chocolate. Someone told me it’s the magnesium in both that helps. Maybe the person with the ulcer can find something else that helps like I did.

Chocolate used to help, but now my ulcer won't let me eat it. I'm a comfort food sort of person, soups, sandwiches, etc...

I find this so funny because I have arfid, ibs, gerd, and am lactose intolerant. I think I'm allergic to this medicine.

I think it depends on what the medicine is for. For me, with GI issues and anxiety fueled nausea, food feels like the enemy a lot of the time. It would be nice if it helped

I agree

I totally agree with that you need to know what you are allergic to. I tried to eat clean and I still don’t feel good I don’t know what to do anymore!

I guess.. ? It depends on if you're allergic or sensitive to it or not

Agree!!

I try to picture the marriage of my mom an dad. I play the fool clean Brea,lun,dinn, so I'm learning to leave slave love alone an stop spending love time an etc on others and spend it on myself. Imma tell you it's hard but I cope

Certain foods are but others are just toxic and poisonous.

loaded question

herbs too.

Agree

Sort of 😅

AGREE, eating well can help you stay healthy, at least for me it does

AGREE

Yes. It helps!

Kinda

I guess it depends on your definition of medicine. Different foods contain different nutrients and chemicals that can be beneficial if you need them or harmful if you don’t need them. For example i drink more green tea and chamomile tea to help gently boost my serotonin levels but it doesn’t cure the issue i have. It just helps to improve it. I also can’t eat red meat like beef due to the high amounts of histamine that make my inflammation worse. Food is just another factor in our environment that we have to take into account and tailor to our own conditions

Very strongly disagree. I think good food is definitely important and helpful for healing, but it doesn't treat or cure anything- so it's not medicine by definition.

Check out the Medical Medium / Anthony William

Agree to an extent. I believe in a holistic approach to health, and nutrition is definitely a big part of that. Changing my eating habits has had a direct effect on my symptoms. Food can be an especially important factor in certain health conditions such as some heart or cholesterol problems, celiac disease, etc. However, a healthy diet doesn't cure everything and doesn't replace needed medications.

I have been currently using food to assist in my elevated bilirubin. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 And being a vegan definitely has numerous benefits.

I say yes. In 2017 I was 185 but due to flustered cluck in my head I was suicidal for 3 years and in that time gained 200 lbs. It filled the void when I was refusing to take prescribed meds. Now I just have 150 pounds to lose lol.

Yes and no. Can't live without it but too much can kill you, some actually improve your health if you consistently take it while others do the opposite. It depends on how much you take and what you take, especially things that contain things your body is lacking such as vitamin D.

Food is great, but it’s also super expensive.

Disagree it makes me sick. I hate eating I wish we didn’t have to

I have 2 ED's. Food does not feel like the medicine I need for this.

Disagree. It CAN be, but not for everything. Like celiac, avoiding certain foods is technically medicine. But this gives me similar vibes to "exercise is the best medicine! Don't be depressed, just go for a jog!" Like no. You do not understand I cannot move... like... depression is so much more than just "Hmm I'm sad". Food isn't gonna fix this. Plus, say this to someone with BED or bulimia and you will regret it. Just be careful with who you're saying this to and in what context

At risk of sounding like a “have you just tried collagen supplements” person: yeah 100%!. Even if I can’t eat my way into an able body I try to be EXTRA healthy. Like homemade green juices type stuff. I feel less malaise and I know I’m at least mitigating some other incoming health issues. Plus there’s definitely A mental aspect to the process of making or procuring an extra healthy meal that makes me feel better.

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I agree. I just finished reading a book about nutritional psychiatry. The elements of the western diet really are not only bad for our physical health but also for her mental health. Some people are also more sensitive to certain foods than others, which can affect their mental and physical health without them realizing it. I think there is a lot of benefit to be found eating healthier and making an effort to increase or decrease certain foods.

Ngl I feel peaceful when I’m eating

Agreed even if it's cake 🎂 🤗

Agreed

Yesyesyes

Yeah, but too often people use food like a recreational drug instead of a healing medicine, I can't blame them: Sugar lowers cortisol. Carbs increase serotonin Protein increase dopamine and norepinephrine.

100%. A good cup of tea and some mac n cheese is just what you need sometimes! It's called comfort food for a reason

Agree!

Agree

Agree. ✋

Agree!!!

Agree

It depends on the food and the ailment

Certainly foods yes. But not all

Agree but any medicine can turn on you if you take too much 🤷

I completely agree. GOD out everything we need on this earth to aid in our healing. It's up to us to take advantage. Unfortunately, due to overconsumption and greed, it's hard to get the nutrients from the food that our ancestors were able to receive

Yea but to an extent. Food can help prevent or help alot of health issues but some symptoms it cant help with. Medicine is necessary at those times.

Honestly a good diet has fixed a lot for me

Yes 🙌

100% agree.

The correct food and in moderation can be medicinal, yes. Although I'd be concerned about allergies...

Too much of anything can be bad.

Disagree. Food is food. Medicine is medicine.

Yes

Definitely a great way to prevent health conditions! For existing conditions it can lessen issues, and food adjustments can even be vital to one's health. People should take healthy eating more seriously, especially when it comes to health related problems.

It is not! Using food as a coping mechanism is so bad for you. Occasionally, like a break up, is fine but daily isnt.

Disagree. Food is food. The idea of certain foods being a "cure" and some foods being "bad" causes alot of EDs

Yess absolutely. Junk food gives me brain fog, makes me sleepy, and irritable. When I eat right I feel energetic and overall happier.

Depends on the food. A healthy diet can definitely go a long way and can alleviate some anxiety/depression. But, it only really helps. It rarely ever fixes, or has a major impact on mental health. It usually has to be paired with medication, exercise, therapy, or all at once. Great, but not a cure all.

I made a post all about this on this app, I invite anyone who’s interested to read it to go check it out! 💕

I'm convinced iced coffee has healing properties lol

When starting my recovery from an ED I had to view food as medicine to help my body in order to eat. Now I view at something fun and medicinal since I have to be careful with what I eat with some of my stomach issues.

Agree, but I think it's more true for some folks than for others

Yes, it is. It may not cure but it can ease and help, but also many poisonous plants are medicine in doses, some can even cure.

Yes and no for me. Protein is medicine for me cause I’m diabetic and tea is my life, but I also have so many food allergies that eating is sometimes hard for me and more dangerous.

Nutrition is an important factor when it comes to health, but food cannot replace medicine

I wish Oreos were medicine

Thats true especially when it comes up to inflammation

Herbal medicine can be consumed so yes. Food is medicine lol.

I agree to a extent of you use food as a coping skills it can become back like ganing fat you don't want and then you become in happy

Agree!

Sometimes it’s both

It depends on the condition you have

9/10 absolutely yes for mental health

Yes I agree. So what to eat for endometriosis?

Absolutely 💯 yet this would mean *whole foods* lol not McDonald's, Subway, Chik FIL A. This would mean people would have to let the sodas and junk foods go. Read & research labels. Sadly, many are too wrapped up among other things to bother. Therefore. People become sick...rush to a MD and take a quick fix pill or patch or injection that has long term side effects. Then, years down the road. They wonder why they aren't getting better. It's because they decided not to be a consumer of good and became a customer.

❤️❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️👎👎👎👎

That can be medicine

If it's junk food then it's not medicine so I disagree and agree because there is different types of food

It depends on what type of food like fruit and vegetables

It certainly helps to have good nutrition but it's very individual. Like, I can't have fiber. Not eating fiber has helped me feel better. All the years I was told eat more fiber then I found out I can't digest fiber and doing so could be life threatening because it could cause me intestinal blockage. So food is medicine I agree. What's right for some people may not be right for you diet wise.

Disagree , when I eat I hurt more

100% agree! 👍

Sea moss is great

Ice cream is my to go food for comfort. But I have rebel or any other low carb ice cream. Now there so many options out there. Grateful for that. Absolutely! For I d supplements are the key. But white food is dangerous to us..

Medical cannabis

Yes

Depends on how im feeling. Sometimes when Im in an episode I starve myself to cope with my emotions. But other times Ill eat a lot of food to cope with it, usually junk food

Food comforts me....that would be why om over weight.....i eat to help me feel better. It's dumb I know.

If only healthy food was affordable...

Food kills some

Yes depending on the food item. Herbs help greatly

I do agree in a way that food can ease symptoms. Bananas, ginger, mint. I eat healthy food to make myself feel better physically and mentally.

Agree

I agree because it helps but then we end up gaining alot of weight even tho we didn't want to depending how or who we are and how we feel

Yes but please still take your meds too

I would say depends on the food and the person. There are some things, for example, that people with EDS can't eat. But, find an effective enough food and you've got yourself a tasty medicine, like coconut popsicles for dehydration. 😋

I 1000% agree

Not in this day in age. Everything with a label is lied about even organics

Agree. A lot of medical conditions can be traced back to gut health.

10000% there is so much research out there on the connection between the gut microbiome and mental health. There is still so much more to learn but my mental health is significantly better when I eat AIP

Nutrition is important good nutrition is important I have mild gastroparesis so I struggle with being able to eat and with malabsorption

Agreeeeee, if properly selected and moderately consumed

I agree food can be medicine. But it think that we need to eliminate the foods that are causing us harm for the'good' food to work for us.

Agree

Medicine is medicine. But food can make a huge difference too.

Agree! Let thy medicine be thy food and let thy food be thy medicine

Agree. When I eat more of a plant based diet , I feel better and have less issues. When I eat garbage I feel like it.

So depends on the food. It also depends on listening to our bodies. What some can eat, I can not.

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For me avoiding some food is medicine as I have celaic desease so my body can react to more than just gluten

I believe in the power of food 🤗 (chef so I'm biased) I think it can help many conditions. Food in an of itself can be a wonderful thing but many people struggle with food in a number of ways.

Food can be medicine. As someone who has had two different eating disorders with food I can say there is definitely bad cases with it. I had recessive eating disorder and binge eating disorder back and forth for a long time. While chocolates when your sad can help, food can also be dangerous

Food can definitely be a form of medicine, but certain foods are downright poisonous! Being aware of the nutrients in the foods we eat is critical to good health.

It is important especially for GI issues and other things, but it’s not everything and I certainly wouldn’t call it medicine

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Nah

I agree

Depends on the type of food and possibly on disorder too. I eat my emotions so even if I eat healthy I can eat an unhealthy amount and will just make everything worse. Just gotta watch what we put in our bodies

I agree food is medicine..I don't know why doctor don't tell us that more often ..

well it depends

Food for me isn’t medicine I eat when stressed anxiety bored

👍agree

Agree

Food can be medicine, but some people use the mantra "food is medicine" as a way to put down those who take prescriptions. Definitely eating healthily (whatever that is to each individual) is a big part of a healthy life, etc. But me personally, I will always take a pill for things like seizures l, etc because that works well for me and I don't want to use whatever else people suggest, as I know what works for me

I definitely agree, although with so many factors, it can be difficult deciding how to go about treating it like medicine

Chocolate can cure my anxiety and depression any day

Agree! Knowing what your body can and can't handle is obviously important to your health, I have a lot of food allergies and fatty liver so I have to be careful what I eat or I feel like crap. Food can also be helpful when you want to treat yourself and eat something super yummy to lift your mood!

As someone who has struggled with BED, I gotta disagree on this one for me. Food is my enemy.

Yes for sure! There's foods that can help with mental health, and a lot of the serotonin made in your body is made in the gut! So healthy guy could relate to a healthy mind.

I would say.. sometimes it is.

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Agree.... Certain foods can worsen a condition as well as benefit the individuals conditions

DISCLAIMER: ALWAYS CONSULT A PHYSICIAN AND A MEDICAL NUTRITIONIST OR DIETICIAN BEFORE INCORPORATING 𝘈𝘕𝘠𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎 INTO YOUR TREATMENT 👍 Absolutely and they've done extensive research on it and certain conditions including dark chocolate kinda interesting. For Kidney diseasein general they've researched: •Red bellpeppers • Cabbage •Cauliflower •Garlic •Onions- use various types) •Apples/apple cider vinegar •Cranberries •Blueberries •Raspberries •Strawberries •Cherries •Red grapes •Egg whites •Fish-Albacore, tuna, Salmon, tested stringently for mercury. •Olive oil •Turmeric •Acai berry •Elderberry •Neem oil •Licorice root •Cinnamon Dealing with phosphoris levels and potassium levels. NOTE: There's amarked difference between vitamin K and potassium look it up. Xylitol This is what I learned watching a video on YOUTUBE. Be careful using YOUTUBE make sure you use FRESENIUS based videos as well. Use information from people who are medicalprofessionalsthat yoy can research their background.

eating a loaf of bread cures my depression for like a solid 5 minutes

Disagree. Almost everything causes an upset stomach for me. I can’t even predict it because one day I can eat a food with no problem but the next day that same food could leave me on the toilet for hours.

It can be absolutely but just like any medicine it can be used in a good or bad way. Like for my eating disorder I'm not a binge eater but you could see how easily that could be harmful. But for someone with anxiety or other issues it can be cathartic preparing foods, learning about nutrition! Its never easy by any stretch but I think it's all in how you use it and if your not sure how get help!!! ❤️❤️

No. I don't view it that way because I'm recovering from anorexia. If we went by that thread, we would still be in our eating disorder. Especially because food is moralized and super foods and fad foods all that is bad for ED recovery. Food is food, and food feeds the body or the soul

Agree in fact it is the most important medicine we put in our bodies everyday

Medicine or poison depending upon the food. Some food is not fit to eat because it is loaded with preservatives and sugar. Fresh fruits and vegetables are certainly healthy. Some do best on a Keto diet. "Eat Right for Your Blood-Type" is helpful.

Could definitely go either way

Depends

a healthy diet is so magical for energy, and all around can make you feel better physically and sometimes even mentally. just don’t expect it to cure something like cystic fibrosis or autism 👍

It can be helpful in reducing symptoms for some. I’m on anti-inflammatory diet, that helps lower the inflammation a bit in my body which is helpful. It’s medicine in a sense, but it’s only part of the equation for most

🙌 Agree because, I had a diagnosis of hepatitis c which there is no cure for… and since switching to a vegan lifestyle I have normal lab results since the beginning of this year ❤️

Food is TOTALLY medicene! You are what you eat! I totally changed my diet after being diagnosed with MS (I was a healthy eater already) and became very focused on anti-inflammatory foods that would help my condition. It has totally paid off. I also use supplements and mushrooms to help with my brain/cognition and nerve health.

absolutely. but the pharmaceutical companies can’t patient food and natural medicine so they don’t want you learning about it and want to suppress it and discredit it.

I agree with you totally.

In moderation of course

Yes. Gut health = mental health. They are inseparable

lette, ask your Dr. for nutrition advice.

I think it can be. But that being said there are a lot of things to consider when making that argument. People with eating disorders may not feel the same as you.

While eating healthy can help it is not going to cure you.

food does make me feel better

Actually fasting is medicine ❤️ ❤️

Agree

I totally agree.

As someone who's suffered from eating disorders, i know now that eating a healthy diet is great preventative medicine. It won't cure everything, but it can help prevent certain illnesses from developing or getting worse and can help manage certain conditions.

100% agree 🤗 had to remove gluten from my diet because I felt like I had a giant rock inside me... and adding to that , lightheadedness, panic attacks and depression 😫 but removed it from my diet and I feel amazing all of that went away 😁

I agree 💯💯

Agree!

Sun is my only source of vitamin D. I also watched someone who cured a bad cancer just by eating lettuce and carrot smoothies everyday.

I don't recommend food if you are eating stuff that makes you more sick. Aka IBS stinks.

Carnivore alleviates acid reflux among tons of benefits.

I went vegan

Absolutely! Some foods can be the opposite of medicine depending on the disorders and individual tho xD

Food has definitely helped my daughter with keeping blood sugars under control, plus helped me to have less swelling & pain!

💯 agree.

I somewhat agree. Depends

https://specificcarbohydratedietassociation.org/

I cut a lot gluten, dairy, meat except fish here and there. I can't tell you how much it has improved my conditions.

Unfortunately because I have an issue with food, I struggle to see it as a good thing that I need to have in order to survive and see it more as a harmful poison so I distance myself from it

I total agree.

Depends on what is going on. Sometimes it will work and sometimes it can make it even woree

Yes I believe what you eat as a hugeeeeee impact on your health/sickness

Heidi_Black I'm a type2 diabetic I'm on 2 kinds of insulin plus 2 oral meds. I can't seem to lose weight and difficult to stabilize numbers . I've started drinking pink salt and baking soda but not seeing much results. Please help!!!

I don't know, I was eating all fresh foods when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.... Life is a crapshoot

Yes food can be meds but be careful not to let be a Crutch when you’re depressed

dialysis made me anorexic which some people mistake as a social thing but it's actually medical and it led to my doctor said "I'm much rather have him eat that do not eat"

yes, i was on dialysis and it makes up about 50% of your treatment. if you cater your diet correctly you can take less pills and have less dialysis to help keep stress off your kidneys!

Yes

Grapefruit tends to mess with many people who take meds. Like thanks citrus gods.

Congestive heart failure and constant pain from both hips being dislocating (I’m not a candidate for hip replacement surgery) … I started a plant-based, whole food diet 10 days ago after reading “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.” We will see if food is really medicine.

Agreed

❤️

I believe food is a very important factor with health conditions. It plays a large part it is not a cure all. I have to say for me personally that it's plus. Large part of managing health.

I think it can be for some, but it’s not a cure all.

as healthily*

It's more nuanced than that in most cases yes food is medicine. Most doctor prescribed drugs simply because most patients ask. If you ask your doctor they SHOULD be able to facilitate that.

Yes!!! I’m type 1 diabetic and I’ve been able to lose weight on this extremely healthy and amazing program that I’m on!! I’ve lost 35 lbs and still losing!! Ask me about it if you’re interested in getting your health back because I’m learning how to be a health coach in this program!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

I disagree because once you gain the weight it is so hard to get it off.

Agree for some conditions. There's no food that cures OCD, but raspberry leaf tea helps with cyclical cramps, and bananas cure heartburn and leg and foot cramps, so! Food can be a medicine or a poison or just food.

As someone with celiac disease, absolutely. Diet is literally the only treatment which has its pros and cons

Agreed 💯✋🙌

I will always be an advocate for healthy food. It does help with symptoms. If I eat very unhealthy it affects my mood a lot

I agree be aware of sugars though

i agree! u need food to survive and recover from health conditions, but above medicine, food can also be an activity of enjoyment, comfort, or a social activity!

Water as well ❤️

Nearly all sicknesses and diseases can be cured by eating a nutritious organic plant based diet. Especially diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease. Watch What The Health on Netflix.

Organic, home - farm - local, juicing and smoothies turned my status around. In about 16 months I lost over 100 lbs. , and other symptoms subsided. I face my illness as a sign I need to go back to what was designed for it… eg. Dairy milk… for cows, not humans… These issues always require a medical intervention of some kind, my issue means those things still are more harsh for me. Anything I can do to rebuild to the core I was given helps. Yes it’s medicine. As is air, water and feet to the ground.

Hi I have a fake knee and hip. I’m always in pain

I think that food can be medicine in a way, but not a cure. I agree with those that say that a healthy diet helps, but I also believe that your mind craves new experiences all the time, different flavors combining or contrasting. I also think that comfort food can help make a bad day better, with proper moderation

Yea eating healthy is like a medicine it can help but too much of anything is a bad thing

I think everything has its time and place. I believe plenty of things can actually be cured with a healthy diet and lifestyle but there are also plenty of things that require legitimate medical intervention

Certain foods but not all…

i found having a whole diet actually worked with my medications :) that and staying hydrated for better brajn function, of course!

Plenty of green . Try juicing your kake...spinach.. Green pepper etc.

1000% agree

Eating healthy is important, but eating UNHEALTHY food is a really dangerous factor in life. Some things they sell as food should barely be considered such.

it can be if you eat right but you also need to drink enough of thr right fluids so overall I'm going to say no

Because I have Type 2 Diabetes, I believe that food is definitely a type of medicine. If I don't eat appropriately, my blood glucose is affected. If I eat the appropriate foods then my blood glucose is affected positively. But if I eat inappropriate foods, such as high carbohydrates, my blood sugar is high and it effects all of my organs negatively. Therefore, food is definitely a type of medicine. 💊💊💊

Eating healthy aids in good mental health.

Eat healthy with pervent a LOT of healthy problems. How your diet effects certainly conditions is very specific to the condition. But it can help if not treat some conditions.

Eating healthy is like medicine. You're helping your body out a ton and it even aids in mental health too.

It depends on the condition and the food. Certainly, eating a healthy diet can help your body manage many things.